Vanilla is big business nowadays and many countries produce large quantities of vanilla. The most famous types are Bourbon and Tahitian and Mexican although countries like India are flooding the market nowadays. Bourbon vanilla is regarded as the best vanilla by many food connoisseurs and is the vanilla found in the ‘Bourbon’ islands, namely Comoros, Seychelles, Reunion and Madagascar. These islands are shown below:

Madagascar

Comoros

Reunion

Vanilla from different countries all have a slightly different tastes just like grapes from different regions produce different wines. Factors including the type of soil, the amount of sunlight and of course pesticides and chemicals all result in differing tastes, but also the drying process that can take up to 9 months is a major factor. Madagascar is one of the few countries that prides itself on the quality of its vanilla so much that it very rarely cuts corners in this vital final stage of production.

Other countries that produce vanilla include India, Uganda, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, Costa Rica, China and the Philippines, and invariably they are much cheaper than Bourbon vanilla, in fact wholesale prices can be more than half the price!